The AÖF presented corresponding figures at a press conference in Vienna. According to them, in 2024, out of 27 victims of homicide (related to domestic violence), 14 were over 60 years old. "This is the first time in five years that more than half," said Managing Director Maja Markanovic-Riedl to the APA.

The data comes from a survey conducted by the AÖF over the past five years. The number of victims aged 60 and over was compared to the total number. Markanovic-Riedl referred to this as a "worrying peak." Although domestic violence affects women of all ages, "where rigid gender roles meet age discrimination, older women are particularly at risk of becoming victims," it was stated on Wednesday. Nevertheless, these women rarely find their way to counseling services, women's shelters, or the women's helpline.

According to the AÖF, in the past two years, on average, less than eight percent of callers to the women's helpline were over 60 years old, and in the AÖF houses, only two percent of the residents were part of this age group. "This gap shows that we need to pay attention," said Markanovic-Riedl. She, along with Elisabeth Cinatl, managing director of the association wendepunkt from the women's shelter Wiener Neustadt, and Romeo Bissuti from the board of the umbrella organization for Boys', Men's, and Fathers' Work Austria (DMÖ), identified an urgent need for action.

Protection Against Violence for Older Women: Implementation of Government Program Demanded

Often, a partner's retirement and the associated loss of status can also lead to aggression and loss of control, Cinatl described examples from her practical experience. "Increasing frailty or illnesses can also exacerbate violence," she said. Women may not want to leave their dependent husband alone or may not be able to access support services due to their own care needs. If there is already a desire for separation on the part of the woman, the risk of violence increases additionally, Bissuti added.

The current government program also includes a "special focus on protection against violence for older women," as it states. Markanovic-Riedl welcomed this commitment on Wednesday but demanded that "this program now be brought to life." Furthermore, there is a need for the National Action Plan for Protection Against Violence, which has been repeatedly demanded by SPÖ representatives in the past, as well as a count of femicides at the state level to better record homicides of women, it was stated to the APA. The AÖF also advocated for widespread awareness-raising about violence against older women, target group-specific education, training in the healthcare sector, an expansion of barrier-free women's shelter places, and the creation of specific approaches for women in need of care.

In Austria, women experiencing violence can find help and information at the Women's Helpline: 0800-222-555, www.frauenhelpline.at; at the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters (AÖF) at www.aoef.at; Violence Protection Center Vienna: https://www.gewaltschutzzentrum.at/wien/ and the 24-hour Women's Emergency Hotline of the City of Vienna: 01-71719 as well as the Women's Shelter Emergency Hotline at 057722 and the Austrian Violence Protection Centers: 0800/700-217; Police Emergency Number: 133

(APA/Red)

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